Origen on Spiritual Ambition

And in the Church of Christ are found some who take to themselves the uppermost places, that is, become deacons; next they aspire to be...presbyters, and some intrigue to be styled among men Bishop. 

But Christ's disciple loves the uppermost place indeed, but at the spiritual banquet, where he may feed on the choicer morsels of spiritual food. 

-- Origen

Some take, aspire, or intrigue to obtain positions. But the true disciple of Christ neither loves nor is attached to position. The true disciple does not seek the pleasure of recognition or the pleasure of authority over others. The true disciple labors--and directs all ambition--to experience the great spiritual pleasures of a righteous and holy life. This is the uppermost place.

St. Augustine and the Greatest Commandment

You are commanded to love God "with all thy heart," that your whole thoughts--"with all thy soul," that your whole life--"with all thy mind," that your whole understanding--may be given to Him from whom you have that you give. Thus He has left no part of our life which may be unfilled by him, or give place to the desire after any other final good...For man is then the most perfect when his whole life tends towards the life unchangeable, and clings to it with the whole purpose of his soul.

--St. Augustine, on Matthew 22:37: "Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

If we love God truly, with heart, soul, and mind, then all our being longs to find union with God. There is not room for any other love, should we truly follow the Lord's commandment.

Augustine again: [F]or it is the selfsame affection by which we love God, and by which we love our neighbour, save that we love God for Himself, but ourselves and our neighbour for God's sake.

Three day comparison of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma waves.

Three day comparison of Delta brain wave activity during meditation. Indeed, every day is different. 

May 24, morning

May 27

May 30

And many of these would have God will that which they themselves will, and are fretful at having to will that which He wills, and find it repugnant to accommodate their will to that of God...Thus they measure God by themselves and not themselves by God. 

- St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross teaches a hard lesson. In our prayer practice, we too easily believe that pleasure, relief, comfort, and agreeableness in prayer is the will of God. If we encounter the opposite feelings, we consider the prayer faulty and not according to God's will. Thus, we abandon the prayer, thinking that God only wills the pleasant, the relieving, the comfortable, and the agreeable. St. John teaches that this mistake leads one away from God, off the spiritual path, and, most directly, hampers our life of prayer from actual progress.